1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of inventory management, and more particularly in one exemplary embodiment to near-field based mechanisms for configuration and/or management of an unpowered device.
2. Description of Related Technology
Near field communication (NFC) is a wireless technology which allows devices to wirelessly communicate with one another over very close proximities. Typical distances are no more than a few centimeters (and/or physical contact). Current and incipient technologies for NFC communication include e.g., contactless transactions, data exchange, etc.
One unusual feature of NFC communication (and its related technology Radio Frequency ID (RFID)) is so-called passive communication capabilities. With passive communication, an active “interrogator” device (also referred to as the “reader”) transmits a signal that is inductively “harvested” to power the passive interrogated device (also referred to as the “client” or “tag”). The transmitted signal also includes a constant wave (CW) portion. The tag can respond to the interrogator by reflecting back a modulated version of the CW portion of the transmitted signal. Traditionally, passive communication has enabled communication with otherwise unpowered tag devices such as for e.g., inventory management, etc.
Incipient research is directed to incorporating NFC capabilities within mobile devices. However, existing applications are primarily directed to augmentation of existing powered mobile device applications with the “touch” capabilities of NFC; e.g., mobile payments, etc. However, the use of passive communications technology for unpowered mobile device applications (e.g., when the components of a mobile device do not have power) remain an area of substantial interest.
One area which could benefit from passive communications technology is inventory management of mobile devices. For reasons described in greater detail hereinafter, the distribution, sale, and delivery of mobile devices from the manufacturer to the customer can be a convoluted process which has unique inventory issues and/or business model considerations. Accordingly, new solutions for inventory management that leverage near-field based technologies are desired.